Bag fastener knob and method of making the same



J l m, 1938.

w. cl HVIERING BAG 'FASTENER moss AND METHOD OF MAKING THE sAim Fil ed Aug. 25, 1955 INVENTW BY Q ATTORNEY Patented July 19, 1938 UNITED STATES BAG FASTENER KNOB AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 7 William 0. Hiering, Newark, N. J., assignor to The J. E. Mergott Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application August 23,

2 Claims.

5 purses and the like by means of rounded knobs attached to the frame member as disclosed for example in United States Patent No. 1,934,071, is-

sued November 7, 1933. Such knobs have been made from blanks of sheet metal bent into the proper shapes; and in some instances brass and other soft metal knobs have been made solid. The knobs made from sheet metal may be made of steel, brass or similar metals; but they have been found objectionable in that it is necessary to stamp apertures in the frame'members to receive fastening prongs integral with the knob. The stamping of apertures in the frame members requires'expensive tools for that purpose which become worn after a period of use and have to be replaced, thusincreasing the cost of manufacturing the fastening devices. The sheet metal knobs are also objectionable in that when they are plated, some of the plating liquid remains within the knob and later seeps out to corrode the outer surface of the knob and adjacent parts of the frame member to which the knob is attached, thereby destroying the ornamental effects of the plating.

In order to overcome the objections to the sheet metal knobs it has been proposed to make the knobs solid by stamping them directly from a metal plate or rod. Obviously in order to satisfactorily stamp a knob from a metal plate, a soft metal must be used such as brass, copper 35 or the like. Should a metal such as steel, iron or a relatively hard ferreous metal be used, very expensive tools must be employed which soon become worn and necessitate replacing, thus greatly increasing the cost of manufacture of 40 solid knobs. Inasmuch as these knobs are designed for use upon relatively inexpensive hand bags, purses and the like, the margin of profit prohibits the use of soft metal such as brass, copper and the like, as such metals are too expensive.

It is therefore an object of'this invention to provide an extremely inexpensive method of making solid fastening knobs for hand bag frames from a ferreous metal such as steel, iron or the like, without requiring the use of expensive tools, which necessitates replacement from time to time.

A further object is the provision of a method of making solid fastening knobs for hand bag frames, said knobs being made from steel or a 1935, Serial No. 37,430

similar hard and inexpensive metal and adapted to be attached to hand bag frames without necessitating the punching of holes in the frame member to receive lugs or the like.

These and other advantageous objects, which will later appear are accomplished by the steps hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the metal member from which the fastening knobs are made.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the manner in which the member shown in Fig. 1 is distorted to form a solid fastening knob,

Fig. 3 is a view'showing fastening knobs secured to hand bag frame members, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

In accordance with my invention, I first provide a metal member, preferably of steel or a similar inexpensive ferrous alloy which has a bulbous end 4 integral with a cylindrical stem 5. The member shown in Fig. 1 is then bent' at the junction 6 of the bulbous end 4 and the cylindrical stem 5, so that the bulbous end 4 is at an angle to the cylindrical part 5 shown in Fig. 2, the bending being accomplished by a suitable machine or tool.

A pair of the knobs are then placed upon hand bag frame members in juxtaposition for fastening purposes as indicated in Fig. 3. The frame members 1 are held in a suitable device, and similarly the fastening knobs are held in position on the frame members by suitable means, while an electric current is applied to the frame members which are made of steel, iron or the like, and to the knobs for spot welding the cylindrical parts 5 to the frame members.v By making the parts 5 preferably cylindrical, a better attachment is possible than if the lower surface of the part 5 were fiat. During the welding process a portion of the cylindrical part adjacent the frame members tends to flow and fuse with the metal of the frame member to provide a stable connection for the fastening knobs.

After the knobs have been attached to the frame members, they maybe then plated or coated with a desired ornamental material. It will be seen that since the knobs are solid, it is not possible for any of the plating liquid to remain within the knob and later corrode adjacent surfaces of the frame member as is'the case with hollow knobs formed from sheet metal.

From the above description it. will be seen that I have provided a simple and extremely inexpensive method of making knobs for fastening hand bag frames from steel or other inexpensive ferreous compounds, which knobs can be made solid and require no expensive tools which must be replaced from time to time. Also, the knobs herein described do not necessitate the stamping of holes into the frame members and consequently greatly decrease the cost of manufacturing hand bag frames so that hand bags embodying such frames and fastening means can be profitably sold at a low cost.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only, and not as restrictive or limitative of the invention, which obviously can be modified without departing from the general scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Bag frame fastening means comprising a pair of solid ferrous knobs, each consisting of a semi-spherical head merging into a conical body converging to a uniformly cylindrical stem disposed at an angle of approximately thirty degrees to the axial plane of said body, said stems electrically welded and integrally united to imperforate bag frame members in opposed relation whereby said heads are normally held in restraining contact and said frame members maintained in closed relation by said knobs, said knobs, stems and bag frame members coated with an ornamental material.

2. The method of making a fastening knob for metal hand bag frames which comprises forming a solid member from a ferrous metal, said member having a semi-spherical terminal, a conically convergent body and an integral, slender cylindrical stem, and shaping the stem at an angle to the body, electrically welding and integrally uniting said stem with a hand bag frame, and coating said knob, body and stem and the bag frame with an ornamental material.

WILLIAM c. HIERING. 

